Topological insulating states in laterally patterned ordinary semiconductors

Abstract

We propose that ordinary semiconductors with large spin-orbit coupling, such as GaAs, can host stable, robust, and tunable topological states in the presence of quantum confinement and superimposed potentials with hexagonal symmetry. We show that the electronic gaps which support chiral spin edge states can be as large as the electronic bandwidth in the heterostructure miniband. The existing lithographic technology can produce a topological insulator operating at a temperature of 10-100 K. Improvement of lithographic techniques will open the way to a tunable room temperature topological insulator.